Trap-west



V. O'ROUR'KE.

TRAP NEST.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1919.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919,

VIOLET OROURKE, O13 EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

TRAP-NEST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. '7, 1919.

Application filed April 4, 1919. Serial No. 287,391.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VIOLET ORoonnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Exeter, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trap- Nests, of which the following is a specifica tion.

This'invention relates to improvements in trap-nests, and has for its object to provide means in a device of this character whereby the hen automatically closes the entrance door behind her when she enters the nest, and automatically opens the entrance door in a set position when she leaves the nest by the exit door.

l/Vith the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the detailed construction hereinafter de scribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention hereinafter disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

These objects are attained by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of the improved nest showing both of its doors closed in full lines and in open position in dotted lines.

Fig. 2, is a viewof the nest with one of its vertical sides removed to show the inside of the nest, and Fig. 3, is a detail perspective view of the prop-lever for the entrance door, and Fig. 4:, is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing another form of prop-lever and a closed bottom for the nest.

Similar reference numerals in all of the figures of the drawing designate like parts.

The housing of the nest is constructed of sides 5, and a top wall 6, secured together along their contacting edges in any suitable manner, and brace connections 7 secured across the open ends of the housing and to the lower edges of the side-walls. At each end ground-sills are secured to the under edges of the side-walls at both sides of the open ends, and these ground-sills project beyond the open ends .a considerable distance and are connected together at their outer ends by the platforms 8. As thus constructed the nest is formed without a bottom wall, thereby avoiding the accumulationof dirt walls, so that the door 9 gravity to unsupporting in the housing, and at the same time providing a housing which can be bodily removed from over a setting hen whenever it is desired.

At one end of the housing an entrancedoor 9 is provided, the same being pivoted on a rod 10 in a manner to swing freely inward, its outward movement being limited by a stop-block 11 which is firmly secured to and projects inwardly from one of the sidewill contact therewith when it reaches its closed position. At the opposite end of the housing to the entrance door is provided an exit-door l2 pivoted in a like manner as is the door 9, but mounted to swing outwardly only, its inward movement being limited by a stop 13. Thus the two doors are mounted alike to swingin the same direction, but one swings inwardly in respect to the housing and the other one swings outwardly, so that a hen can enter the nest by one door only, and leave the nest only by the other door.

The two doors are connected together preferably by a flexible connection 14:, so that when the exit door is operated outwardly, it pulls the entrance-door inwardly or to the set position, and at the same time, the exit door also operates a prop-lever 15 which engages under the edge of the entrance-door to support it in the set position. Prop-lever 15 is pivoted at one end to one of the side-walls on the interior of the housing, as indicated at 16, and is preferably constructed larger at its free end to add weight thereto, so that it will readily fall by position when the weight of the entrance door is released therefrom. This prop-lever is also provided with agroove 17 which is formed along the top edge and around the pivot end of the lever,

said groove 17 being adapted to seat one end of a flexible connection 18 which is connected at its other end to the exit door 12. The groove 17 is formed sufficiently deep to retain the operating cord 18 in engagement with its periphery, and to further guide the operating cord 18, an eye 19 is secured to the side-wall adjacentthe lever 15.

The prop-lever is also provided with a lip 20 at its free end, said lip being adapted to engage the bottom edge of the entrancedoor when it is in the set position, and thereby prevent the prop-lever from being thrown too far in one direction. When both doors are in the closed position, the

free end of the prop-lever is preferably supported by the guide-eye 19.

In operation, the trapnest is initially set manually by pulling the exit-door outwardly. This pulls the flexible connections 14 and 18 and consequently the entrancedoor and prop-lever are swung to the dotted line position shown at 21, and then the exitdoor is released and closes by gravity. In the set position, the lower edge of the entrance door is supported so low that the back of the hen entering the nest will slightly raise the door. This at once relieves its weight from the prop-lever 15,. and it falls from the supporting position, and as soon as the hen passes from beneath the door, it also automatically falls to the closed position against the stop 11, thus closing the entrance behind the hen. When the hen desires to leave the nest, she will discover that with a little force against the exit door it will open outwardly and allow her to escape, and as she raises the exit-door to escape, it will operate both the entrance-door and its prop-lever to the set position. for the next hen. The length of the flexible connections 14: and 18 are of course determined by the amount of movement to be given the entrance door and the prop-lever, and as shown in the drawing the connection is such, that the entrance-door will start to move inwardly at once with the outward movement of the exit-door, and while the doors are raising, the slack in the connection 18- is being taken up, so that at the end of the raising movement of the doors, the proplever will be operated quickly to the sup.- porting position beneath the edge of the entrance-door. Any suitable nest. can be prepared for the hens on the interior of the trap, usually a layer of straw isv provided on the ground, floor. While the: drawing 7 shows solid doors it will be understood that any suitable screen doors can be used. In the solid doors used, ventilating openings 22. are provided.

The trap-nest above described is very simple in construction, is thoroughly ventilated, and beingsupported upon the ground sills the housing portion rests above. the ground, thereby not only forming ventilating spaces'in the. sides,.but also keeps the housing dry at its bottom. edges and prevents, its rottening- In Fig. 4 the prop-lever shown is formed with a flat top end 25 upon which the entrance-door rests when the door is in the open position, and to prevent the prop-lever from being thrown. too far back,. its backward. movement is limited by the flexible member 26 whose ends are. secured to screweyes fixed in. the prop-lever and floor of the trap respectively When the trap is constructed with a floor, but when the trap has an open bottom as shown in Fig. 2, the lower screw-eye 27 can be fixed in the adjacent side wall.

Hens occupying the nest in the trap can project their heads through the openings 22 to get more air, and if desired, a hen can be detained in the trap by locking the doors with a pin 80 inserted in suitable openings in the side wall and the edge of the doors. Braces 7 also form footlooards to retain the straw of the nest within the trap.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed is i 1. A trap-nest, comprising a housing having opposite ends open, an entrance-door located at one end of the housing and mounted to open inwardly only, an exit-door located at the opposite end of the housing and mounted to open outwardly only, means for connecting the two doors. to open the entrance-door when the. exit-dooris opened, a prop-lever for the entrance-door having a separate connection with tlleBXlt-(lOOI and operable to supporting position by the exitdoor and to non-supporting position by gravity.

2. A trap-nest, comprising a housing hav ing opposite ends. open, an entrance-door lo cated at one. end of-the housing, a stop for limiting the outward movement of. the entrance-door, an exit-door" located at the opposite end of the housing, a stop for limiting the inward movement of the exit-door, a flexible means connecting the two doors which will open the entrance-door when the exit-door is opened, and means having a separate connection with. the exit-door and operated by the opening of the exit-door for supporting the. entrance-door in the open position. i

8. A trap-nest, comprising a housing having opposite ends open, an entrance-door located. at one end of the housing, a stop for limiting the outward movement of the entrance-door, an exit-door located at the opposite end of the housing, a stop for limiting the inward movement of the exit-door, av flex ible means connecting the two doors which w1ll openv the entrance-door when the exitdoor is opened, and a pivoted prop-lever VIOLET OROURKE.

Oopiel ofthls. patent may beobtained tor flve cents eac11, by addressing the; Commissioner at latents,

Washington, D. G." 

